I really don't want to be an official if I transmigrate into Qi Tongwei's life.

Chapter 310 The Family Annihilation Case 7 Years Ago

Lu Rongxian, deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, chimed in, "Comrade Xingguo, I think that's exactly what you mean."

Those who can rise to the level of provincial party committee cadres are all shrewd old foxes, and Ye Xingguo is no exception. He is not a hothead like Qi Tongwei who is swayed by emotions.

"Comrade Wan Gui, Comrade Rong Xian, please let me finish what I have to say."

Provincial Party Secretary Li Yong'an defused the situation, saying, "I think everyone should listen to Comrade Xingguo speak first."

Ye Xingguo gave Li Yong'an a grateful look, saying, "The reason this case has become so dangerous is partly due to the extreme nature of the suspects, and partly because they were indeed wronged."

"Zhang Jian killed the police officer so that we would investigate the joint defense team. This also shows that he has some cleverness, because killing a police officer will definitely have a greater social impact than killing a member of the joint defense team."

"Tan Bin killing the court president is based on the same principle, so we must thoroughly investigate the reasons behind it, learn from this experience, and prevent more people from imitating his crimes."

Therefore, we should maintain a sense of awe and never underestimate any ordinary citizen.

Some of the leaders present nodded in agreement, while others were deep in thought. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it; this is a truth known to the ancients.

Chen Wangui, of course, disagreed; his goal was to get rid of Ye Xingguo.

"Comrade Xingguo, to my knowledge, no huge sums of money of unknown origin were found in Chen Dali's home. The merchants on Laodong Street said he collected protection money, which could be attributed to his pressure on Chen Dali."

Ye Xingguo was furious. He slammed his hand on the table. "Comrade Wan Gui, please be responsible for your words. Don't spout nonsense. You are slandering those comrades who worked so hard to solve the case."

Chen Wangui spread his hands, "Comrade Xingguo, don't get agitated. Ever since you brought that kid here, Tianhe City hasn't had a moment's peace."

"That kid dared to tell thousands of people that Chen Dali raped Zhang Jian's wife without any evidence, causing the people to sympathize with the murderer and slander our police. Am I not even allowed to raise some questions?"

Ye Xingguo retorted forcefully, "Of course not! Chen Dali ate and drank extravagantly on Laodong Street without ever paying, and there are records of it. What reason do those merchants have to slander a deceased person?"

"There are eyewitnesses to Chen Dali's rape of Zhang Jian's wife; these are undeniable facts. Comrade Wan Gui's questioning of this is mainly because Chen Dali is from Chenjiazhai."

Chen Wangui immediately became agitated, "Ye Xingguo, that's slander! That kid is slandering Chenjiazhai as a mafia, I think you're the one who instigated it!"

The tension was rising, so Li Yong'an had to step in and try to defuse the situation.

"Comrades Xingguo and Wan Gui, it's fine to discuss differing viewpoints, but we must not attack each other, fabricate accusations, or undermine unity."

"Yes, Secretary Li."

Both of them calmed down.

Chen Wangui still wouldn't let Ye Xingguo off the hook. "Comrade Xingguo, I'd like to ask you, why are there more criminals after that kid came? Or was someone derelict in their duties before?"

These words clearly implied that Ye Xingguo had neglected his duties, and now that things had come to this, Ye Xingguo was going all out.

"Secretary Li, Governor Du, these criminals had been around for a while; this is a dereliction of duty on my part."

"Comrade Wan Gui, I'll answer your question now: why are there more criminals? It's because no one dares to investigate like Comrade Qi Tongwei did."

"Let me give you an example of Qiu Jinkun. How could such a large underground casino really go unnoticed? The fact that dozens of officials could be implicated in a sudden raid on a nightclub can only mean that Qiu Jinkun bribed certain officials."

"With certain officials acting as his protectors, would a lowly policeman dare to investigate Qiu Jinkun? Would the police station chief dare to investigate? Would the criminal investigation team leader dare to investigate? Of course, the criminal investigation team leader was also out drinking and having fun at nightclubs."

"This leads to the fact that the police only dare to investigate ordinary criminals. They simply don't have the courage to investigate criminals at the level of business owners. Even if they do investigate, a single word from certain officials can result in their suspension or being sidelined."

"I can say this definitively: without my support, Comrade Qi Tongwei would be fired the very next day."

These words were spoken very bluntly, more like lifting a fig leaf. The leaders present certainly understood that this was the truth. Without the support of the top leaders, it would be futile to investigate major criminals.

Chen Wangui never expected that Ye Xingguo would say something like this, it seems he is determined to deal with Chen Family Village.

Lu Rongxian spoke first: "Comrade Xingguo, aren't you exaggerating? It's like saying all wealthy entrepreneurs are colluding with officials and that their money is all dirty."

"I think this statement is very unfair to our comrades. A small number of comrades have lost their faith, but I believe the vast majority are good comrades."

This was a clever remark that directly put Ye Xingguo on the opposite side of everyone else.

"Comrade Rongxian, you misunderstood me. I was just describing a current phenomenon, which reflects the helplessness of some grassroots police officers. I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it."

Lu Rongxian continued his attack, "Comrade Xingguo, can I assume that all the police in Tianhe City are inferior to Comrade Qi Tongwei?"

One against two was indeed a bit difficult for Ye Xingguo, so he decided to break free from the back-and-forth mindset and said, "Secretary Li, Governor Du, may I tell you a story?"

Li Yong'an was curious and wanted to ease the tense atmosphere, so he said, "Comrade Xingguo, tell us what you have to say."

Ye Xingguo's expression was grave. "Secretary Li, Governor Du, seven years ago, when I was the Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau, a major and heinous case occurred. An antique dealer and his entire family of five were murdered; their deaths were particularly tragic."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wangui's expression changed, as if he knew some inside information.

Ye Xingguo continued, "After the case occurred, the province immediately established a special task force because the antique dealer had overseas connections, so the higher authorities attached great importance to it."

"As the head of the task force, I assembled a large number of elite police officers and quickly identified a group of tomb raiders as suspects. However, as the investigation deepened, it seemed that things were not so simple."

"The more we investigated, the greater the resistance became. Not long after, the criminal police captain was shot and killed. Suddenly, the higher-ups ordered the case to be closed. In the end, the tomb raider was executed. After the special task force was disbanded, the deputy director in charge of the case was transferred to another city. I was lucky to stay, but I have always felt regret in my heart."

The police captain who was shot was Lan Ying's father, Lan Weiguo.

Li Yong'an and Du Jianzhang were both parachuted-in cadres, but Du Jianzhang had arrived two years earlier. They were unaware of the case from seven years ago, but the other leaders present were generally aware of it and had heard some rumors about it.

Chen Wangui immediately challenged, "Comrade Xingguo, are you questioning the superior's decision, or do you believe the murderer is someone else?"

Ye Xingguo smiled. He said this in order to win the support of the top two leaders, or at least remain neutral.

"Comrade Wan Gui, I just suddenly remembered it. Time has passed, and it was just a momentary feeling. Don't take it too seriously."

Lu Rongxian pressed on, "Comrade Xingguo, you're clearly implying something. Could it be that you've invited Comrade Qi Tongwei here to make up for your regrets from back then?"